UEFA Rejects Barcelona Handball Appeal Hours Before Atletico Second Leg

Barcelona filed a protest after the first leg at Camp Nou, arguing defender Marc Pubill handled the ball inside the penalty area. Referee Istvan Kovacs awarded no penalty, and the VAR team did not intervene.

UEFA's Control Ethics and Disciplinary Body declared the protest inadmissible on April 13, 2026. "Barcelona filed a protest relating to a referee decision. On 13 April 2026, the UEFA Control Ethics and Disciplinary Body declared the protest to be inadmissible," UEFA said in a statement.

Barcelona called the non-penalty decision a "major error" that influenced the result. The five-time Champions League winners trailed 2-0 after goals from Atletico's forwards at Camp Nou last week.

The incident occurred when the ball appeared to be passed to Pubill following a goal kick. Barcelona argued Pubill deliberately handled the ball to prevent a scoring opportunity. Atletico manager Diego Simeone's side now visits Barcelona for the second leg with a two-goal advantage.

UEFA's ruling means the tie proceeds with the first-leg result unchanged. Barcelona must score at least two goals to force extra time.

What to watch: Whether Barcelona can overturn the deficit without the disputed penalty ruling serving as added motivation for their attack.